Anyone have preop diet ideas

Hello Everyone: I hope you all had a most wonderful weekend.   So I am somewhat seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  I am a "youngster" so finding five years of weight history was kind of hard.  I am not one to go to the Dr. often.  I had to go all the way back to the pediatrician.  Haha... I am going through this with Dr. Chebli and Lisa at NW Hospital.  They are great so far and very helpful.  Looks like I will be getting the word from the insurance within 3-4 weeks so KEEP THOSE FINGERS CROSSED for me!  Thanks.   ANYWAY... I was told to start my four week low carb diet so I started that today.  I can only have 30 carbs A DAY!  It's hard!!!!  Headache city!   I drink two protein shakes, one for breakfast one for lunch, but does anyone have any suggestions for a dinner with 20-25 carbs total.  Most of the helpful info from the nutritionist was postop....HELP! Thanks everyone!!!   Amy    :   )

Hi Amy,

Congratulations on getting your journey started, I hope it all goes very smoothly for you.  Do you get FitTv?  On that channel is a good show called Blaines Low Carb Kitchen and I have gotten several good post-op ideas from it.  Here is a link to his recipe section: http://fittv.discovery.com/fansites/blaine/recipes/recipes.h tml It gives the carb counts and a lot of different meal ideas, hope you can find something that looks tasty.  Good luck with the pre-op diet! Molly

Thanks Molly! That site was very helpful and some of the things looked pretty good. I appreciate your help. I have another question to anyone *****ads this..... How much time did you take off of work after?

thanks miss molly- that site rocks- i am  getting nervous

I love that site and that network!  Got to know it pretty well the 8 weeks I was off work from surgery.  (my job is heavy, heavy physical labor and I banked up a lot of time off for surgery!)   Some of his recipes are too high in fat for bypass patients but can easily be adapted and I am going to try his soy alternative for a sandwich wrap since I am voluntarily not eating breads anymore.   Wow...the 25th is coming closer.  I'm so excited for you!!!  Would you consider eating any babyfood meats when you are in your puree phase?  They aren't bad with some sorts of sauce added and I have extra that I'd be happy to bring to the next meeting to give you.  ???  They are just too liquidy to hold me for any length of time now and I'd rather they go to another patient.  Food drives won't take them since they are in glass jars and frankly...those glass jars are wonderful for helping you with post-op portion control.  I'm STILL eating out of mine.  Molly

Hi Amy I'm a recent bander with Dr Chebli (May 4).  I love chicken, meat, tuna, cheese, and eggs  so that's what made up the majority of my pre-op meals with salads as a side.  If I remember what the nutritionist said you can have an unlimited amount of the veggies that are 5 g/serving or less (within reason) and not count them on the 30 carb total. If you didn't hear that, then check with Tricia.   Be creative as there is a lot of good salad stuff available this time of year.    I got a book from Tricia (Exchange Lists for Meal Planning by the American Diabetes Association)  went through it, made a spreadsheet of the foods I know I eat, listed the protein and carb counts then made "meals" from the list. (I'm not a gourmet cook!) Also, have you tried Hood's Calorie Countdown milk?  The beauty is there are only 3 g of carbs and 8 g of protein in an 8 oz serving!! It's usually all I consume when I drink milk HOWEVER, I've only found it at Fred Meyer's in Lake City!!! I just had a post-op visit with Tricia yesterday and I'm sure she'd be laughing to know I'm passing along nutrition advice...easier said than to actually follow!! One last thing.... remember the Nike slogan:  Just Do It!!!!   The four weeks will fly by - maybe the headaches are a result of withdrawl from sugar, caffine, chocolate (I know some lump that in with sugar but reallllllllllllly!!!! Good luck Nona

Thanks Nona All of the information that you gave to me is really helpful.  I appreciate it!   Sounds like everything is going pretty smooth for you.  Tell me all about it!   How long were you off of work after? 

Hi again I was off work from May 3rd (day before to be sure I had everything in order and to clean!) and returned to work on Tuesday May 22.  Depending on your stamina, one could probably successfully return the second week but I've found that the effects of anesthesia can linger.  I tired more readily even though week two I was bored at home;  it was a good decision for me not to return until the following week.  I also wanted to be sure I had my first post-op appointment under my belt before returning.  Then there was the factor that my job required a medical release so I could return to work.  I do have a lifting restriction of 20 pounds or less until July 4th or thereabouts then a less restrictive weight limit maybe 50 pound but I assure you I'm not into lifting any weight other than my body!! The diet was a breeze for me and perhaps a bit too good.  The first day you won't want to eat just from the procedure.  Day 2 through 7 - nothing but fluids whi*****luded protein drinks, sugar free jello and soups. Week two I won't comment on other than to say I entered the "soft food" week early!  I'm kind of still doing that stage with increased  'regular" foods.  I did try some hamburger last week and did just fine.  I've also just started to include some baby carrots and mushrooms and I've also been okay with some rice however I expect this to change with a fill. Today, I actually had an appointment and was anticipating my first fill but Dr C had some difficulty finding the port (which IS unusual for him) so I'm off to radiology next week with him for a fill via flouroscopy (sp) and it will be great because I'll get a better fill since he'll be able to see how the band reacts while he's doing it.... so I should wind up with pretty good restriction which I haven't actually felt since week three! I lost 50 pounds pre-op which was above the amount required by Dr C and my insurance company.  Since surgery I've lost 6.  This is not depressing, in fact when I remember how many times I've been on WW and the pain I endured trying to lose one pound, I'm quite happy.  The slower the loss - even with a surgical tool - the longer it's going to stay off.  It's a life long committment and can be defeated if we return to our old habits - which by the way, I've done on more than one occassion in the last five weeks.  I"m also back in group weight loss counseling through Northwest Clinical Nutrition Center to help deal with food issues.   Hopefully, you'll join us at the WLS support group on July 11th at NW - bring questions - everyone loves to share their story and I know I gained a lot of insight listening. Keep in touch Nona

Hello! Thanks again for the insight.  It is always nice to know what to expect especially with someone who has the same dr. doing the procedure.   I am so excited, but nervouse to hear back from the insurance....I am trying to stay positive though.   I've been doing pretty good this week with the pre-op diet so I am anxious to see how much weight I can lose in the next 3-4 weeks.  50 pounds for you....that is awesome!  :  ) Have a nice day, it's great talking with you.  You sound really motivated!

Talk to you soon.

Amy